Ralph Luciw honoured

I can do no better than to quote Brian Hickey, a mutual friend: “This award was a long time coming and is very well deserved.”

Ralph is often a guest at the Hickey household’s special occasion gourmet gatherings. That’s where I met him first, but I knew of him as early as the 1970s. When I was working on the Honda motorcycle account at a small advertising agency, Ralph was Honda Canada’s senior executive in charge of all national car advertising.

His career accomplishments are even greater than I realized, before reading the press release about his Hall of Fame induction. That doesn’t surprise me. Ralph is not one to puff himself up. He’s a distinguished gentleman, pleasantly modest.

Here’s the press release text:

Luciw, of Regina, (now living in Uxbridge, On ) SK, is honored as a competitor, builder, and significant contributor. It’s no stretch to say that hundreds of Canadian drivers got their start in racing because of Luciw, who founded the Honda-Michelin Challenge Series in 1976. The low-cost series also brought many companies into racing as sponsors. Before he launched the series, Luwic raced in hill climbs and rallies, in addition to building and racing what was possibly Canada’s first Formula Vee.

Luciw also worked the media relations desk at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, when it was known as Mosport International Raceway, promoting many series such as Can-Am, Formula One, Formula Ford, and Rothman’s Porsche. In 1987, the Canadian Automobile Sport Club honoured Luciw with the John Reid Trophy for his outstanding contribution to motorsport.